BTA Announces its First Docent

BTA ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST DOCENT PROGRAM

BY ABBIE SMITH DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & INTERPRETATION

In the last year Boyce Thompson Arboretum saw a 35% increase in visitors! We love to be a place people come to explore, reflect, learn, disconnect from life’s demands and reconnect to nature. As we continue to welcome more and more visitors, we see an exciting opportunity to capture their hearts and minds with transformational learning experiences. To help us accomplish this monumental task, Boyce Thompson Arboretum is welcoming our first cohort of docents this fall!

WHAT IS A DOCENT?

Docents play an integral role at BTA bringing its mission— to inspire appreciation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife and ecosystems—to life. Docents help visitors see more than what they are physically seeing, expand their understanding and deepen their connection to this place we all love. While leading tours and interpreting BTA plant collections a docent’s primary responsibility is to facilitate enjoyment, discovery and connection.

Docents at Boyce Thompson Arboretum are active community members who volunteer their time, training, interpersonal skills, and expertise to ensure the best possible experience for children and adults. In the course of teaching others, they consistently expand their own learning. Docents are adults of all ages, walks of life and educational backgrounds. Docents will take part in a 10-week training program where they will expand their own knowledge in botany, ecology, and natural and cultural history. They will also develop new skills in the art of interpretation, learn tools of engagement, and implement tour leading best practices.

To become a docent, all you need is enthusiasm, time, energy, a good speaking voice, and a love of people. If you are interested in joining the next cohort, please sign up for our email list! Read more about the docent program at

https://www.btarboretum.org/docent-program